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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I will give an F about climate change when whichever President and the likes  of John Kerry/ any State department people/ any UN people  start flying commercial, especially economy as they are using my tax dollars.

Their motto:  do as I say, not as I do.  Eliminate the Paris agreements until they all start setting examples themselves.

We are not sheep for these climate change hypocrites. [/quote]

Eh, strange to fixate on high level politicians who have legit security reasons to travel differently from the rest of us.

The real issue is that America actually does a terrific job of taking steps to protect the earth while the vast majority of the world simply does not. We aren’t the problem, so we can’t really be the solution. Even if every American stopped traveling abroad, the environment wouldn’t really feel a positive impact. Plus, like it or not, our tourist dollars matter. Bigly. Just ask people impacted by the pandemic. [/quote]

you are seriously kidding yourself if you think America is doing a "terrific job" at protecting the earth. Do you know how much recycling actually gets recycled? How much waste we produce? How much of a single-use culture we have to many others? Now, are we doing better than some, absolutely- in limited numbers of areas- namely cities such as DC, NY, LA, SF. Go to Northern Europe- they turn composting into energy, have alternative energy sources in abundance, electric or hybrid cars everywhere, recycling (that is actually recycled) for batteries, electronics, light bulbs, etc in every grocery store, recycling pick up to include compost. That's actually doing a terrific job.[/quote]

Compare what America is doing versus China, India, Eastern Europe, Africa, South America, and even large parts of the EU.

The reality is we aren’t the big polluter despite our size and population. We just aren’t.

There are dozens of reports on this. Google it. [/quote]

No, you show us the evidence to support this ridiculous claim.

The US is the world’s second biggest polluter, second only to China whose pollution outweighs ours by a very large factor BUT a very large portion of it is in producing goods to sell primarily to our markets, so we are deeply responsible for much of China’s pollution.[/quote]

The US is far bigger and more densely populated than most countries. Hence: second biggest polluter.

There are studies that show where our pollution actually comes from. ICYMI: it’s corporations, not individuals.

Corporations developed the whole recycling environmental protections thing to shift focus from a legit criticism of corporations. [/quote]

Actually, it isn't just pollution- which yes, is mostly tied to corporations- across the board. The US is by far the LARGEST consumer-driven country in the world:

"The largest consumer markets are the US, China, Japan, Germany and the UK making up about half of the global consumer economy. The US consumer market alone makes up almost 29 % of global consumer spending."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_consumer_markets

So again, continue to pat yourself on the back but until you stop buying random things daily/weekly from Amazon or fill-in the blank retailer, don't sit there and say how great the US is doing. China, by no means is the beacon of positive environmental policies but much of the manufacturing of said goods purchased by US consumers is made in China. Buy fewer good, need fewer factories. Completely simplified of course.

Add that to all of the fast food, Starbucks, quick eats, and single-use items US consumers are consuming and therefore throwing away every single day...this FAR outpaces literally anywhere else in the world. Partly because most places don't have large swaths of the population who can afford it but that's an entirely different story/soapbox.[/quote]

I really hate it when people deflect and don’t own their contribution to a problem. Of course the US is a huge polluter and the upper middle classes of D.C. and the like bare a far heftier responsibility than the poorer folk. You can stick to your love of travel but at least be honest with yourself and don’t try to kid yourself and others. [/quote]

I love travel. I own it.

But:

-I don’t order from Amazon. 
-I still wear flip flops I bought in college 25 years ago and other clothes/coats/bags I bought years ago. 
-I don’t go to Starbucks. I rarely do take out.
-I recycle. 
-I’m a legit minimalist. My home is largely furnished by inherited pieces from older relatives. 
-I’ve worn the same few pieces of jewelry for decades. Any additional pieces were hand me downs from older relatives. 
-I prefer having my windows open. I like a cool house during the winter. 
-I don’t set fires or burn anything. 
-I recycle and free-cycle. 
-Compost
-I don’t eat meat.
ETC

I’m not the problem…and neither are you.

Corporate polluters are the problem in America. In other countries, it’s more nuanced.

And carbon footprints are far less worrisome to me than human trafficking and human rights abuses rampant in other countries.

[/quote]

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